Red
by AlwaysDaniel
Summary: A few one-shots, depicting the relationship between Spider-Man and the Black Widow.
1. Chapter 1

Avenger's Mansion was surrounded by an aura of silence, or what was left of it. Two days passed since Ultron raged his war on the Avengers and the world, leaving the team emotionally and physically scarred. With Tony helping J.A.R.V.I.S reconstruct himself, and most of the Avengers destroying the remnants of Ultron's forces, a particular web-head found himself rather lonely.

Since J.A.R.V.I.S' decommission, the remainder of the mansion's operable security and surveillance systems had been manually monitored by different Avengers in shifts. So for the next few hours the amazing Spider-Man is responsible for keeping his allies safe. As of right now, earths mightiest heroes were vulnerable, and everybody knew it.

The mansion's security room was still, despite the occasional beep or hum of machinery hard at work. Peter fiddled with his fingers, he needed a distraction.

He was still recovering from what that mutant girl showed him with her freaky powers, and the plethora of screens before him revealed he wasn't alone. The spider themed hero knew they all fought their worst nightmares that day, powerless as their own minds were turned against them. Inflicting wounds deeper than any punch or weapon could deal. Ultron turned them against each other, showed them they were there own worst enemies.

He slouched in his chair, and let his elbows rest on the counter. The weight of the matter dawned on him, Ultron didn't want to destroy the world, He wanted to destroy us. No more quiet suburbs, no more how I met your mother, and he was _there._ Ground zero, Sokovia, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Captain America. It was his second week here and he already faced an extinction level event. He really didn't grasp how dangerous being an Avenger really is.

Pat-pat-pat-pat

His enhanced ears picked up the sound of light footsteps. So light he barely believed it to be real; he wouldn't put it past himself, he was tired. He directed his attention to the screens which displayed every nook and cranny of Avenger's Mansion.

Pat-pat-pat-pat

He was sure it was real this time, he was sure anybody who didn't have superhuman senses wouldn't have heard that. He was also certain his spider-sense didn't go off, maybe somebody's pulling a prank on him? It had to be Clint but he was off with the rest finishing off Ultron's forces.

Pat-pat-pat-pat

He turned around, this was no joke. Its a hostile takeover. He wouldn't be surprised, there's a freaking huge hole in the building. He calmed himself and kept his finger near the emergency button. This person is playing with him, or their too afraid to fight him straight up. He chose the latter.

Pat-pat-pat-pat

He felt his heart beat faster, he stood up and let his lensed eyes scan the room. He stopped and noticed just how absurd he was acting, why should he be scared, his Spider-Man, he fought the lizard, Venom, the Rhino, heck even Mysterio. whoever this was was no Venom. They should be hiding, because if he saw them he would-

"Hey, Peter."

"WHA!" This was one of the rare occasions Peter's body reacted before his mind, never a good thing.

Before he could react he found himself leaping head first into the ceiling and sent crashing back to the ebony wood floor.

"You okay?" The voice was female and quite nice on the ear.

Spider-Man groggily raised his head towards the female, what his somewhat hazy vision could pick out was fiery red hair a mixture of emerald and blue eyes and a very tight bodysuit which accentuated a lithe and curvy body.

The spandex clad hero knew exactly who this is, the infamous Black Widow. Peter didn't know much about the redhead mainly because they barely spoke outside greetings and missions, but he did know she's one of S.H.I.E.L.D's best agents, if not the best. Also somebody you shouldn't mess with.

She outstretched a gloved hand, but he declined still feeling a bit butthurt, but glad his vision was back. She grinned and pulled up a chair near his and sat down.

"Well, the floor does look comfortable." She jested, her grin becoming wider.

The webbed wonder took his seat, recomposing himself and clearing his throat before throwing in his own quip." Do you make it a point to scare hardworking New Yorkers, Romanoff?" He was glad she was smiling again, he saw her on the Quinjet after Wakanda. Her face was transfixed in horror, but he guessed her training taught her to get over such things, or of course it could be a facade, she was a master of them after all.

"Only when their not." Her retort was fast, she crossed her arms waited patiently for his run of the mill quips.

"Whatever, what do you want?" He huffed out, she was sure if his mask didn't conceal his face she'd see the annoyance. To Natasha, he and Barton could practically be twins.

"What do you mean?" Natasha feigned confusion, but Peter wasn't buying it. He knew S.H.I.E.L.D agents, especially from when he was visited by a certain Director. It was simple, they pretend to be your friend to achieve their own goals.

"You're not here to say hi, you want something from me." Peter said matter-of-fact tone. Natasha facial expression changed, Peter seemed rather blase about the whole thing.

"Fine, I need you to babysit for me, please." She said, he could see she didn't anticipate the conversation going this way, maybe she had perfectly laid out plans to verbally corner him till he couldn't say no.

"Wait...you have a baby?!" He exclaimed, her facial expression went from unreadable to shock aaand back to unreadable.

"No, of course not," She broke character for a split second. " I promised Jessica i'd babysit for her, but some S.H.I.E.L.D stuff came up, so I need you to do it." She said veraciously.

"DREW HAS A BABY!? NOBODY TELLS ME ANYTHING ANYMORE!" Peter declared as he cupped his head in his hands.

Natasha found the sudden need to facepalm. "Bohze Moi, Jones. Not Drew, Jessica Jones."

"Oh, that actually makes a lot more sense." Peter murmured shyly.

"So you'll do it?" Natasha questioned, patiently waiting and staring into his ivory lenses, hoping to see a glimpse of his eyes. She always liked looking people in the eye when talking to them.

"What are you going to do again?" He replied with another question, completely ignoring hers.

"S.H.I.E.L.D ops, I can't tell you more." She said, Peter realized she didn't have an accent. She sounded american but something told him she wasn't.

"Come on spill the beans, i'm bored. This conversation is the most fun I had all day." He pleaded, he loved making her uncomfortable. Maybe even a new pastime

"If I did i'd have to kill you." Her small smirk disappeared and she gave him a look that sent shivers down his spine.

Spider-Man quickly changed the subject "Why me anyway?"

"Kids dig Spider-Man" She said with a smirk.

"Kids dig Spider-Man?" Peter replied incredulously. The black widow could see the faint signs of a genuine smile developing under that web clad red mask.

"And woman over thirty" She added

"Really?"

"Just an observation."

"Seriously?"

"Must be the spandex." She said as she tilted her head.

Peter blushed, and swore the red mask just got a little more red. "Anyway, what's in it for me?"

"I'll owe you one." She smirked.

"What could an assassin and super spy do for me? Well there's this guy called Ted next door, his musics always really loud. So you know can you "take care of him" like by tomorrow?"

"You want me to kill your neighbor?" She said skeptically.

"Ugh, you said it out loud. Now everybody knows!" He quipped "I'm joking, you know i'm joking right? Don't kill him."

As of right now the Black Widow didn't know who's worse: Hawkeye or Spider-Man.

"Peter I don't have all day, yes or no?" Romanoff knew she has exceeded her limit of smart ass for the day.

"Okay, fine i'll do it" He gave in.

"Thank you, Peter. Dani's an angel you'll love her." The Black Widow stood up and left the security room with a smile on her face. Looks like she did have the night to herself after all.

As for Peter? He made a solemn vow that night to never babysit again.

Thank you so much for reading, please review. I thrive on constructive critiscim. Oh and by the way All Avengers in this are played by their actors in the movies. Spidey is played by Andrew or whoever you have in your imagination. Thanks again.


	2. Chapter 2

In central Park, on a weathered cricket-y bench, a sweater clad Peter Parker watched as Autumn ran its course.

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, just what he needed, with an icy breeze sweeping through the old trees, helping them shed their scarlet hued load.

Peter loved Autumn, the sound of crunching underfoot, children shouting as they pranced and slid through the leaves, the general happiness reminded him of better times.

Times where super-powered maniacs weren't his problem. When Uncle Ben would sit on this very bench with a newspaper at hand and watch him play in the leaves.

He came here every Autumn religiously to celebrate those times. Those treasured memories that showed him what and whom he fought for. And sometimes, on special days, he could swear Uncle Ben was right with him, proud of the sacrifices he made for others, but most importantly the man he'd become.

Peter felt a dull ring at the base of his skull, the type he usually felt when being watched, or his spider sense was acting up again. From the bench he took in his surroundings, he saw scores of children and parents to normal passersby but no Peeping Tom's. He quickly dismissed the idea, his spider sense did have a long history of glitches.

 **SHREEEK!** The bench groaned as it distributed the weight of another body. He whipped his head to the left so fast you'd think it'd snap, he saw a rather small pretty redheaded woman with a beanie tense at the sound. She took off her coat and laid it on the armrest. She was surprisingly lightly dressed for the weather.

Peter squinted his eyes, her face was somewhat obscured by her infernal head wear, but he swore his spider sense intensified the more he looked at her. He positioned his arm on the backrest and whistled as his eyes examined the the grass, his spider sense dulled immensely. He peeked at her once more and his sixth sense flared.

He gave her a hard look and she responded by shifting a bit further away.

"God, Parker. Are you always so eccentric? Or is this a special occasion?" She smiled, not even bothering to look at him.

"Oh. Its you." He grumbled, he wandered if it was just him or if the world just got colder.

"What's eating you?" She asked nonchalantly, trying to find an area where the bench didn't feel like it could give way any second.

"Clint told me your supposed S.H.I.E.L.D op was non-existent. You duped me," he scowled at her gradually increasing smirk "and also permanently altered my feelings for babies. For which I shall never forgive you."

"Come on Peter, it wasn't that bad."

"True, it was worse." He cringed at the recollections of that night. "She has her fathers strength and her mothers temper, not the best combination."

"Yikes." She removed her beanie. Letting her crimson hair cascade down her shoulder and back. Peter swore his mental image of her didn't catch a scintilla of her beauty. "Something on my face?"

He shied away, running an awkward hand through his hair "Uh, no...Noooothing, its perfect... I mean perfectly normal." He face palmed, he wished he possessed the same grace in conversation as he did in the air. "What are you doing here anyway?" Realization struck like a freight train. "Wait. Natasha Romanoff, are you following me?" He fondled his chin, giving her a smug smile. "While I am devilishly handsome, you shouldn't have gone to such extremes to get my attention."

"Why i'd think your hallucinating." She said strongly, softly extricating his hand from his chin, before people stared.

She was following him though, in truth she found him intriguing. She had met many of his type, those of pure hearts untainted.

They all turned out to be spies and backstabbers. Peter though was harder to read. He played the fool most of the time but she saw through this masquerade immediately, he was far more intelligent then he let on. So now was the time to take initiative, if not for her then her comrades.

The only person who had real info on him was Fury, who was surprisingly secretive of the man. Is he one of Fury's agents? Or are his allegiances more sinister. Either way she would find out, and if need be terminate him. For her friends, for her family.

"Come on! Are you telling me by some twist of fate we'd both end up in Central Park? On this very bench?" He remarked skeptically. His expression hardening "What does Fury want this time? My help? Perhaps my blood? Well you can tell him to stick that eye patch up his-"

"Whoa, Pete! I'm not here on business. Okay." She raised both her hands in a bid to calm him. "My life doesn't revolve around S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Funny, I thought old Nick kept his dogs on a short leash. Or should I say spiders?"

"Hardy har har."

"Then why are you here Romanoff?" He questioned, she'd never seen him so untrusting, it looked so out of place and alien on a face usually filled with hope.

"I'm just here to talk." She said in as much sincerity as she could muster. His expression softened somewhat, but he was still on edge. That much was clear.

An easy silence settled between the two, for the few minutes they watched the children play.

"So, is being an Avenger everything you hoped it'd be?" She inquired, once more returning her attention to the brunet.

"Yes and no," he smiled a bit "certainly more painful, but it's nice to be a part of something. Have someone to rely on instead of going it alone."

"I know the feeling." She affirmed, playfully hitting him on the arm. His hand promptly raced to caress the spot.

"Oh. How's your arm doing?"

"Better than new, always was a fast healer." He said, he reminded himself his not an arachnid themed red and blue pinata.

"Sorry about that, it was amateurish of Clint to be caught off guard like that." She said solemnly.

"It's fine, I'm sure anybody would go stiff at the sight of an eight foot mound of muscle." He quipped.

"Not us, a split second of indecision can leave you six feet under." She said seriously, a hint of her ice cold look making itself known.

"I'll keep that in mind. Seems like everyone's off their game anyway." He admitted, it was hard not to notice the lack of morale.

"That's an understatement," she let a small smirk grace her lips "heh. Great time to be an Avenger eh?"

"If only." He retorted.

"Thanks. By the way, for saving Clint." She looked into his hazel eyes to prove her gratitude.

"No problem, it's what I do. Save people." He reflected for a moment. He quickly changed the subject. "I heard you guys had quite a fight in Europe, so much in fact they called in Thor. Must've been some bad guy."

"That's putting it softly," She remembered the fight with Gallio. Not pleasant at all. " How come I always get the telepaths?"

"I've been beat up so many times this week I think an an attack on my psyche would be a welcomed reprieve." He quipped, he did notice the recent influx of telepathic adversaries. Maybe Xavier took a leave of absence.

"Hehehe, wanna switch?" She proposed, Peter smiled.

"Depends, can I fly the Quinjet?"

"No way." She said with finality. "Our mortality rate is already as low as it gets."

"Then no deal."

Natasha rose from the bench, collecting her coat and taking a deep breath. "How about we go get some coffee and talk about it?"

"Nah, i'm fine." He said, raising his hand for a polite decline.

"Come on, nemnogo pauk. Let's get some caffeine in you, then we can talk about sweetening the deal?"

"Nem-what?!" He asked, but she was already walking down the pathway. He smirked. He never could refuse redheads.

* * *

I'm sorry for the long break, have to get back in the swing of things. Thanks for reading, next chapter will see some action.


	3. Chapter 3

_Breathe. Breathe. Breathe._

Her lungs burned, her knees ached, sweat rolled down her skin like a stream. Natasha despised this, the smell of sewage and perspiration compounded that hate.

The spy pushed herself a little harder, the sewage nearly reached her knees and the current felt stronger with each passing second. Though that could just be her legs slowly giving way.

Her bleary vision and shaking hand made keeping a flashlight steady hell, the blue circle of radiance piercing through the darkness and jumping from wall to floor with a mind of its own.

The sewer tunnel she was now in was composed of abrupt twists and turns, leading to sudden painful collisions. The sharp sound of boot striking water nearly covered the subtle hiss not far behind.

She didn't dare look back; knowing she would see nothing but the ruby red eyes stalking her, feeding on her fear. This game of cat and mouse could be concluded as soon as it got bored with her, she was in its domain, its playground, it was king here and it made sure she knew that.

Nevertheless she was the Black Widow; the epitome of Red Room training, she could overcome physical extremity with ease. What really irked her was the fear, as much as she pushed it down it was there, lurking in the depths of her mind, and she hated that. She could count all her fears on one hand minus a few fingers, this to her surprise was one of them. _The chase,_ the last time it happened she was running from a raging green Banner. It made her feel small, frail and powerless and she hated that too.

Her mother figure, her instructor told her a proverb when she was a child, something she'd remember for the rest of her life: "Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is." Right before she left her to survive a frigid forest for five days. She hated that woman with all her heart but she was all she had then. And now her wolves were bigger than her fear could make them.

She gathered her wits, she couldn't run forever and she was at a severe tactical disadvantage.

She needed to gain the upper hand, something her equipment couldn't give her but the environment could yield. Picking up a certain Spider wouldn't hurt too, though the fact she was being persued didn't bode well for him, and if he's dead her chances of survival just plummeted.

 _2 hours earlier..._

The ex-assassin felt a ripple of unease wash through her being as she trudged through the sewage. Years of training and experience taught her to trust her instincts above all else, and they told her something unnatural was lurking behind the shadowy decrepit walls.

She pointed her flashlight to the ceiling where Spider-Man walked as if gravity had inverted. "Can you feel that?"

"Extreme jitters? Ever since we entered. Keep a lookout for anything out of the ordinary." He replied before disappearing back into the shadows, only his seemingly glowing lenses visible.

"For someone who doesn't spend their afternoons underground what exactly would that be?" She quipped.

He scratched the nape of his neck "Scales, fangs, abnormally large claw marks, and piles of dead rats. That sort of stuff."

"Hunting alligators now, Dundee?" She asked as she flicked a bit of sewage of her thigh.

"What we're searching for is far bigger than an alligator." He stated.

"And what is that?"

He feigned seriousness, "Do you believe in reptilians, Scully?"

"No." Natasha said definitively.

"Good, I don't too," He said as he watched a small lizard scurry past. "have you ever heard of Curt Connors?"

"Geneticist turned homicidal maniac." She said, remembering Coulson telling her about certain illegal experiments going on under Oscorp. through her own private sources she discovered S.H.I.E.L.D. were involved in more than one of these inhumane tests, and were always expeditious to sweep them under the rug.

"That's the one." He said.

"He escaped Ravenscroft a month ago." Said Natasha as she carefully inspected the walls with her flashlight.

"Pulled a trick Houdini would be proud of-" He was interrupted as the walls shook softly and the distinct sound of a train rumbling on echoed from above the ceiling, sending down particles of built up dust.

"Over here." Natasha yelled, "I think this fits your criteria."

"What?" He slowly descended on a strand of web till they were shoulder to shoulder, the thin material clasped between his webbed boots. "Oh."

She traced her hand over the absurdly large claw marks deeply engraved in the wall, "This our Lizard?"

"Trust me, he wasn't that big when I flushed him down the toilet." He muttered, his muscles going rigid as he remembered their last fight.

"You okay?" She asked, noticing his lean suspended frame slack and his large lenses magically squint as in deep thought.

He shook off the negative emotions within him, taking in a deep breath of stinky sewer which he came to regret as soon as he got an icky taste in his mouth. "Fine."

"Good, what's the plan?" She asked.

"What plan?" He said as if the word didn't process.

"Oh God." She swung around, her flashlight stuck on his form. "Don't tell me you don't have a plan."

"Fine, I won't." Spidey declared, crossing his arms.

"You idiot! You're going to get us killed." She shrieked.

"Plans are for people who don't have Spider-Sense." He retorted, the material of his mask contorting to form a frown.

"You said-"

"Sheesh, take a chill pill, i'm just messing with you." He said, chortling afterward "Catch."

He removed a small syringe and tossed it over. She easily caught and tilted the small device, a faint glowing cerulean liquid bubbling inside its cavity. "What is this?" She inquired.

"Now that my dear fellow dear arachnid is a Gene Cleanser, guaranteed to get rid of all your Lizard-y problems in a flash!" He stated in a weak imitation of a salesman's voice. "Synthesized by New York's own Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker!" He ended, clapping away.

"Huh," She latched the syringe onto her belt. "Anything else I should know about this guy."

"Uhm, well, he can crawl on walls and his super strong and fast." He said. "It also seems his kidnapping sewer workers."

"And that's strange?"

"Kidnapping isn't his modus operandi, and he prefers to be isolated while cooking up ways to turn everybody into Geckos." He answered.

"Are you trying to tell me his a softie who doesn't kill?" She asked.

"He only killed once. A police captain." He replied somberly, pushing down memories and emotions he'd rather forget.

"George Stacy?" She inquired, picking up immediately on his tone.

"He was a good man."

"Must've been harsh dealing with that and the Bugle going all out, especially turning the NYPD against you." She said.

"J.J's always going to tear me down, That won't change. At least until I stuff his stupid newspaper down his throat."

"I have a question for you Mister Parker."

"Shoot." He said.

"Did you really go to court in a suit and your mask?" She questioned curiously, spinning on her heels to face him though still following the tunnels curvature as if she had a Spider-Sense of her own.

"Yeah." He admitted with a sigh.

She snickered.

"I thought binge watching Law and Order would making me an expert. It was the most idiotic thing I ever did." He explained, face palming.

"It all worked out in the end though." She said cackling.

"Luckily, if it wasn't for that judge and Matt I'd still be chased by New York's finest." He said, remembering the lethargy behind those restless nights, being hunted by cops and superheroes alike.

"Wait, Matt Murdock?" She asked, a small smile gracing her lips.

Spidey saw a small glimpse of content and something else in Nat as soon as the name rolled of her tongue. "Yeah, you know him?"

"No," He gave her a look. "It's none of your business." She said quickly.

His large lenses widened comically, "No, way." He mumbled.

"What?"

"You two dated, didn't you?" He said in utter amazement.

"No!"

"So you know his Daredevil?"

"I work with S.H.I.E.L.D, I know who _everyone_ is." She elucidated, her voice becoming more silvery.

"It all makes sense, like the time we all took down Mandrill and Griffin with DD, you two were so awkward." He said, connecting his hands in different ways as if a puzzle.

"Awkward? Being in a room with you and Carol is awkward." She countered.

Peter crossed his arms, "Hey Tasha! you know how complicated it is."

"Then how about we drop the subject and get on with the task at hand?"

"Fine." Peter replied, dropping from the ceiling and landing directly next to her.

"Good."

"Huh, I never took you for the dating type." He said with a small smile concealed by his mask.

"Peter, shut up."

Natasha grunted as her earpiece fed static into her ear, she ripped it out before a single blue bolt traveled through the device. "My earpiece is out, must be some sort of EMI device."

"Down here? No way, unless, it must be Connors." He looked down at his web shooters which still seemed fully operable.

"Well whatever he did it worked, we're cut off from the surface." She told him, an anxious vibe settling between them.

The two froze as an inhuman roar reverberated through the tunnel, making them quiver and Peter's Spider-Sense explode in his skull.

Thwip

The Black Widow found her hand fixed on the derelict wall, encased in the thick white sticky substance. She used all her strength to try to extricate it but it was no use. She was stuck.

"What are you doing?" Natasha yelled.

"If you come with me you'll just get hurt, or worse." He sighed. "It'll come off in an hour, if i'm not back by then get the hell out. Please."

"Peter your going to get yourself killed!"

"Better me then you."

"I'm so gonna kick your ass, Parker." She mumbled as she watched his bright costume disappear in the darkness ahead.

 _Present..._

The Black Widow unsheathed her titanium combat knife, her last defence against certain death.

The Lizard was so close she felt the tremor in the water with every step he took. His roars covering her thoughts.

She felt a gust of air on the nape of her neck, Natasha whisked around thrusting her blade into the Lizards thick scaled neck before throwing herself out of his path.

The Lizard blurred past her kicking up water in its wake. It scratched its neck vehemently till the knife fell to the water below. The creature roared shaking the walls and lunged toward her, she tried to leap out of its reach but she was to slow, and the two crashed through the concrete wall into a utility tunnel, sending pieces of concrete and a plume of dust into the tunnels.

Natasha gradually opened her eyes, a surge of pain rushed through her body, something was broken. She turned her head and watched the Lizard rise from under a slab of concrete, shaking its head of dust.

She slowly started crawling and took in a deep breath as the Lizard grabbed her neck lifting her till they were eye to eye; leaving her feet dangling above the water.

" _Where are the rest?"_ Its voice was gravelly. She hit his hand, slowly starting to choke as he squeezed.

The Lizard brought his right hand up, large claws shooting out of their tips. She searched her body and found a small taser disk, she armed the device and dropped it into the murky depths.

Small blue bolts shot across the expanse of water, making it glow a bright blue hue. The Lizard screamed as the bolts climbed his large body sending him shooting across the water and throwing Natasha into the wall of the utility tunnel.

The man turned reptile slowly rose, smoke emanating of its shoulders. It let a manic scream escape its mouth before pouncing at Natasha with the intent to kill.

The redheads eyes widened as the Lizard closed in, it all seemed to happen in slow motion though she was left motionless. Was this the way she would die? In a sewer alone, what scared her more was the fact deep down she thought she deserved this.

As the Lizard bared his claws a flurry of red and blue slammed into his side, sending the Lizard of course. Natasha slumped against the wall. Peter's costume was ripped and torn, long slashes adorning his chest, the only mostly intact part of his costume being his mask sporting a cracked lense.

"Lizzy, buddy, why'd you run? I thought we were really getting somewhere." He quipped half-heartedly, the two circling each other.

Spidey and the Lizard resumed their brutal clash, exchanging kicks, swipes and jabs faster than the eye could perceive. It was the ultimate battle of strength and speed, with Spider-Man darting around the Lizards body, letting his instincts and Spider-Sense guide his movement, barely outpacing the reptiles tail and razor sharp claws.

Spider-Man fully twisted over the Lizards outstretched claw, rotating his lower half and slamming the core of his foot on the creatures taut emerald cheek before taking a three point landing behind his large form. He smirked before his Spider-Sense blared milliseconds too late as he felt the full weight and force of the Lizards two-meter tail collide with his chest, sending him flying into a concrete wall; creating cracks and sending a shower of concrete falling to the floor with him.

The dazed Wallcrawler slowly rose to his feet stumbling as he tried to stand. "Time out?" He said making a T with his his arms, the Lizard replied with a roar. "No? Ok." Cold bony fingers wrapped around his throat slowly elevating him into the air.

"Have...you...been...working...out?" He choked out, the Lizard slammed him into the concrete wall vehemently. Spidey struck his web shooter damaging the small device, he pressed his middle and ring finger against his palm and hit the Lizards temple with the same wrist causing a small explosion of web fluid. Creating a lapse in the Lizards grip allowing him to pry off his fingers and kick off his chest sending him sliding on his back across the concrete stretch.

The Lizard stumbled backward trying to remove the solidifying web fluid on his face. Peter took advantage and speared him across the chest sending the Lizard crashing to the floor, he straddled the Lizards torso raising his fist, his Spider-Sense alerting him too late as the cold blooded geneticist pulled his hook like claws down Peter's back making him bite back a scream. He grabbed his scaled forearm and exerted as much pressure as he was capable, sending an audible crack echoing across the tunnel.

The Lizard thrashed violently trying to throw him off, the Webhead put a hand against his chest keeping him down and struck the lizard as hard as he could sending a tooth flying from his mouth, "That's for George."

He removed the Gene Cleanser from his costume and prepared to plunge it into the reptiles beefy neck until its snake-like tail coiled around his torso effortlessly tossing him away.

The Lizard rose to its feet, its forearm snapping back into place. It walked over to Spidey, placing his foot on his chest. " _Peter Parker."_ It smirked menacingly, grabbing the syringe and crushing it in its hand. "No!" He bawled then grunted as the Lizard pressed his foot down. " _I've been... hisssss waiting for this moment for years."_ It said in a distorted version of Curt's voice. It slowly pushed one of its clawed fingers into his shoulder making him screech.

The Black Widow flipped over its arm, and swung onto its back. Wrapping her legs tightly around Lizards neck and squeezing, bright blue bolts arcing around her bracelets "Have you ever been bitten by a Black Widow?" She asked as the Lizard tried to pry her off. "I heard it stings like hell." She jammed her bracelets into the Lizards neck making it scream in pain. She flipped of its back before he grabbed her, giving Spider-Man enough time to recover and re-engage.

Natasha landed in a small tumble. Huffing out as she pulled herself to her feet, she halted joining the fight as she heard muffled screams down the utility tunnel. The widow entered the large mouth of crumbled concrete, the short tunnel leading her down to a small space fitted into a makeshift lab.

The area was filled with scientific apparatus covered in dust, a single computer and numerous shelves adorned the walls holding test tubes filled with liquids.

She unclipped her flashlight to investigate, switching it on.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent looked on in horror as one of the missing sewer workers withered on the floor, her eyes a venomous jade and bright green scales messily tainted her beige skin.

Natasha kneeled next to the woman, who grabbed her hand in a vice like grip. " _Please, help me, I don't want to die. Oh God, I-I have a family, please."_ The woman begged, her voice gravelly and distorted much like the Lizard.

Natasha's expression softened. "I'm going to get you out of here, I promise," She looked down at her scales. "What did he do to you?" She asked softly.

" _He-he made us drink something. To make us like him. He said it'd make us stronger. He forced us."_ She choked out, tears streaming down her face. " _It killed the others, my f-friends, he said we were too weak. Oh God i'm going to die aren't I. Please help me."_ She held Natasha's hand tighter. Black Widow tried to help the woman up but she screamed in pain.

Natasha removed the Gene Cleanser from her belt, "Stay still, okay, you're safe now." She injected half of the liquid into the crook of the woman's elbow.

She started convulsing violently, Natasha held her head off the ground and squeezed her hand till it stopped. The woman was motionless. Natasha put her index and middle finger on the side of her neck. She cursed.

"I'm so sorry." She shut the woman's eyes and laid her down gently.

* * *

Spidey grunted as he held open the Lizards gaping maw with all the strength he could muster. The saliva dripping of it's knife-like teeth made the Webhead cringe.

He heard the sound of needle piercing flesh and the flush of liquid. The reptile shrieked.

The Lizard stumbled taking in a sharp breath, his scales slid off his body like water, his eyes from crimson red to blue, his large fangs receded into his gums, and his form diminished till he was nothing more than a naked thin blonde man covered in sweat and kneeling in his own shed scales. Behind him stood Natasha, the now empty Gene Cleanser held firmly in her hand.

"It wasn't my _fault,_ the Lizard made me do it." Curt Connors whimpered, "I c-can't do it anymore- Peter, I can't hold him back. His too _strong!"_

Spider-Man kneeled down next to him, putting his hand on Curt's shoulder. "It's okay now, we'll take you back to Ravenscroft, they'll help you get better." Peter heard a sound he could go a lifetime without hearing: the cocking of a gun.

He positioned himself in front of Connors as Natasha pointed her Glock 26 directly at him.

"What are you doing Nat?" He asked, keeping Curt behind him.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to put that sick bastard down." She stated, as she looked for a target behind Peter's body.

"We've all had a long day, Nat." He pushed Connors back. "Just put the gun down and we can all leave bullet-free." He said, his anxiety heavily influencing voice.

"So what? They put him in Ravenscroft? The Raft? where he'll just escape again and again and leave a string of bodies. No thank you."

"That's not our decision to make." He looked down at his last web shooter, calculating exactly how fast he'd have to be to disarm her. He quickly trashed the idea, though it may work on common thugs Natasha was trained and dangerous, such a risky move could end very badly.

"His a monster Peter, You didn't see what he did to those people!" She yelled.

"And he'll pay for that." He said, her eerie calmness throwing him off. Almost everyone he saw holding a gun had a shaky hand and were not fully prepared to deal with the aftermath of taking someones life. Natasha held the gun with practiced ease, her steely expression making him believe she could take this man's life easily. A line he would never cross. That scared him.

"He killed people Peter, he took those people away from their families. He doesn't deserve to live."

"He has a family too Nat, a wife and a son. He can still be saved, he can return to them. If you kill him you're robbing him of that. You're stealing his sons chance of having a father! Can you live with that guilt?" He noticed a slight hesitation, he removed his mask and stared deeply into her intense cyan eyes.

He slowly moved forward until the muzzle of the gun pressed into his chest. "If anyone's to blame it's me. He wouldn't have become the Lizard if not for my selfish decisions."

She holstered her pistol and jammed her finger into his chest, "You're naive, and all those people he'll hurt and families he'll destroy are on you Parker." She walked past him.

"I-" She pistol-whipped Curt across the cheek knocking him out. "You carry him."

* * *

I just wanted to say thanks to AliciaRoseFantasy for her help on this and for all of you awesome peeps support, I really appreciate it. Thanks for reading and please review!

Next chapter will be way more light-hearted, I promise!


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